One of New Japan Pro Wrestlings biggest stars, and current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will have the honor of being one of the people involved in carrying the iconic Olympic Torch for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This news was shared yesterday, and this makes Kazuchika Okada the first pro wrestler in history to have this honor. That makes it big for not only NJPW, but wrestling as a whole.
Kazuchika Okada
NJPW has swelled in popularity in recent years as Kazuchika Okada has taken his place as the ace, a title he earned after his battles with the former ace Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada has become one of the promotions, and wrestlings biggest stars. He has had some of the best matches of all time in recent years, and is only 32 years old. The future is bright for the man who has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship five times, and holds the record for longest reign at 720 days and most defenses at 12.
You couldn’t ask for a better face of a company on the rise. He is handsome, talented as hell, and has the fans behind him. With 2020 being a major year for NJPW, his involvement with the Olympics can only reflect positively on the company.
Will He Be Champion For Carrying The Torch?
But this raises a question, and it’s in regards to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Will Okada be champ for when he’s carrying the torch? He has to make back to back defenses on January 4th & 5th for Wrestle Kingdom 14. He faces G1 Climax winner Kota Ibushi on the 4th, and then on the 5th he is in the double title match with either Tetsuya Naito or Jay White. Okada is tough to beat, but his title defenses are often weeks or even months apart. It’s unlikely he holds onto the title.
While it would be possible for him to lose the belt at Wrestle Kingdom to any of the three men he will potentially face, and simply win it back down the line, NJPW is prides themselves on long term storytelling and not being reactionary. It will be interesting to see, but having the ace carry the torch might be enough to shine some light on NJPW.
What do you think about Kazuchika Okada being the first pro wrestler to carry the Olympic Torch? Let us know down below in the comments and be sure to come back to the Overtimer as we speed towards Wrestle Kingdom 14.
